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Earlier this year a couple of mates and I made some history for ourselves…we hiked the famous Overland Track in Tasmania, Australia!

Having very little experience as it were, we managed to finish it, mind you within 5 days despite the recommended 8 days (due to poor planning of a return flight)…btw this can all be done in just over 7hrs by marathon runners :) Nonetheless we experienced some of the most dynamic and pristine landscapes in the world, all the while surviving off rain water (…from tanks), dehydrated packet food…mostly dhal lentils, and naturally scroggin. We wouldn’t have planned it any other way (…if we planned); and although we did scavenge like possums from some of the better cooks, aka hikers, by the end of it we did feel a great sense of achievement…possibly akin to an adult caveman still being fed and living at home with its parents. So, all in all it was worth the stench of days old body odor, and cooking in the dark just to see this incredible sunset…

Finally with some time on my hands I am hoping to have my photographs from China see the light of day! This was taken in HongCun Old Town, AnHui Province, China.

The white walls and black tiles characterises this region in China. Every alleyway of Hong village has water running underneath and around it through small channel ways. It is incredible how this small village has stood the test of time and war for the past 900 years or more. If you are around the HuangShan region you must spend a night here, very special to have a home-cooked meal and drink their special wines (some snaps below).

Over 900 years and still good – HongCun Old Town, AnHui Province, China

In the latter half of 2014 I found myself in Shanghai, China for a few months, living, studying, working, playing and lots of drinking! Thanks to a good friend I was lucky enough to work with some of the best in the Shanghai wedding industry, in particular CCLiang a very talented photographer and pleasure working alongside. The photograph below was taken in TaiZhou a city in ZheJiang Province roughly four hours south of Shanghai. The Bride and Bridesmaids are making their way to the grooms home while friends and family shower them with confetti, and a lifetime supply of firecrackers lay a red path of debris. This photograph neatly depicts my experience of the modern Chinese weddings, a day of total excess and exclamation. For me the experience of playing a key role and being welcomed into a day most often reserved for close friends and family is something very few foreigners have, and for a day it unveils a whole culture. I just can’t believe I didn’t get shrapnel in my eyes!

In the summer my good friend and I were down at Phillip Island cruising the coast and with our photographic gear…as you could imagine we weren’t getting very far. Every amazing thing that stood out we’d pull over and go photograph…naturally of course! Well, it took a while, but after sometime we had a few great shots that made the fuel guzzling expedition well worth it. This was one of my favourites near Kitty Miller bay, the ship wreck “Speke”, which comes alive at sunset as the rusted paint glows in the evening sunset light.

In Australia today is a day of remembrance, reflection, and in particular reminding. ANZAC Day commemorates and honours all those that have previously and presently serve our nation. It is also an important day for New Zealand, as ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. However, over the years and wars following the First World War (the time ANZACs were established), ANZAC day has become more of a day for the community as a collective to come together and honour all our service men and women. For me personally, I find it hard to stay in touch with our service men and women because living in Melbourne we are so sheltered from regions of conflict, and it is too easy to forget. This is why ‘lest we forget’ we have ANZAC day and even more so places such as the Shrine of Remembrance, a place easily accessible by all, and a major cornerstone to our cityscape. These photographs were taken on Remembrance day last year at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia.